Q&A: General Home Storage

Question:Organizer for canned vegetables and canned fruit, silverware,pots and pans and their lids. Where can I find these? Cassette tapes?

Answer:What is your current storage situation for these items? You can find storage for all of the things you mentioned at www.spacesavers.com. If there are specific solutions you are looking for, I can help you come up with ideas.

For your canned goods, you can place shelvesin your cabinets or your pantry to increase your storage space. I also use the larger versions of these in my lower cabinet to hold pots and pans. You can also keep your pots on a hanging pot rack. I used this solution in the first house we had. It had a kitchen the size of a small bathroom.

You could also store your canned goods on a rolling rack. It’s especially nice if you stock up on items or buy when they are on sale.

I use a cabinet door rack for my lids. It is probably my favorite organizer in the entire kitchen because it keeps my lids from getting buried in the cabinets and keeps them out of the way.

Your silverware can be kept in drawer organizers. You can find one that already has separated compartments and fits the dimensions of your silverware drawer or you can customize your drawer with multiple drawer bins (especially nice if you have narrow drawers).

For fine silver pieces, use silver storage bags or lined boxes made especially for storing silverware.If you prefer to keep your flatware out, or just need something to hold it during cookouts and family gatherings, you may want to consider a caddy.

As for your cassette tapes, depending on how many you have, these can be stored in anything from a shoebox to a shelving unit. I also recommend transferring your music to cds or MP3s or replacing your cassettes a little at a time. I still have a stash of cassettes that I refuse to part with, but their sound degrads over time and as cassette players get older, you run the risk of them damaging your tapes.I hope these ideas help you. If you have any other questions, let me know!Happy Organizing!